Minimally invasive surgical techniques such as endoscopies and laparoscopies are often preferred over traditional open surgeries because the recovery time, pain, and surgery-related complications are typically less with minimally invasive surgical techniques. In many laparoscopic procedures, the abdominal cavity is insufflated with carbon dioxide gas. The abdominal wall is pierced and a cannula or trocar is inserted into the abdominal cavity. Surgeons can then perform a variety of surgical procedures while minimizing patient trauma.
Many procedures require a variety of different functions be performed at the surgical site. These functions can be performed by different instruments, each being tailored to perform a particular function. Alternatively, a single instrument having interchangeable and replaceable end effectors can be used, with each end effector being tailored to perform a particular function. Often, multiple instruments or end effectors are disposed or used at a surgical site at the same time, and/or during the same procedure, and multiple surgical access ports can be used to accommodate the instruments. The instruments used by a surgeon can include an end effector that is designed to perform a particular function at the surgical site, a handle to operate the end effector from outside of a subject, and a shaft connecting the handle and end effector. The diameter of the end effector is usually substantially larger than the shaft, and thus techniques have been developed that allow end effectors to be introduced through a single, larger port via an instrument, sometimes referred to as a loading device or loader.
While systems that provide for a surgical device to be introduced to a surgical site through a first port and a loader to be introduced to the surgical site through a second port so that the loader can present and/or assist in coupling the end effector to the device are known, such systems and devices are limited in their capabilities. For example, while the ability to use different end effectors with a single instrument provides some flexibility and versatility, there is still a need for additional flexibility and versatility in other components of the system, such as for different types of surgeries and different types of anatomies. In some instances, end effectors need to be associated with particular instrument configurations in order to operate properly (e.g., specific shaft configurations extending between a handle portion and the end effector). Another deficiency of some existing instruments is that the modular end effector head freely rotates when a surgeon places a twist load on the device, thereby limiting the control a surgeon has over operation of the end effector.
Still further, coupling an end effector to a surgical instrument or device in vivo can be difficult to do because it can be difficult to manipulate a shaft of the instrument and the end effector to easily attach with one another. While visualization techniques, such as using an endoscope or the like at the surgical site, can aid a surgeon during the attachment process, additional instrumentation can take up much needed real estate. Viewing devices can also be difficult to maneuver to get a good view of the surgical site and relevant instrumentation, tissue, organs, etc. Still further, the view of the viewing device can become blurry, for instance due to being obstructed by objects in the body and/or having fluid, tissue fragments, or other materials deposited on the lens. In some instances, the lack of good vision in vivo can cause the surgical device, e.g., a shaft of the device, to become bent due to the device being directed to locations to which it should not be directed. Further, sometimes a surgeon may think an attachment has been made, only to later discover that no attachment occurred. This can lead to the end effector falling off the device, or the device being inoperable due to the end effector being improperly loaded.
It is desirable for systems, devices, and methods used in minimally invasive surgeries to have further flexibility and versatility. It is further desirable for such systems, devices, and methods to allow a modular end effector to more easily be aligned so that the end effector can easily and securely connect to a surgical device that will be used to operate the end effector. It is also desirable for a surgeon to be notified when a secure attachment has been established between the end effector and the surgical device that will be used to operate the end effector and/or know when the end effector has been removed from the surgical device. It is still further desirable for notification and ease-of-coupling features of this nature to be incorporated into a loading device that presents end effectors to surgical instruments in vivo such that a surgeon can know when an end effector has been properly loaded or unloaded from the loading device.